40 handy bread tips — and what to do with stale bread

Stale bread recipes and tips

1. Make some fattoush

A popular bread and vegetable salad from the Middle East that uses stale flatbread, or try with stale pitta, Italian or French bread.

2. Revive your stale bread with water

Transform stale bread  just sprinkle with water, then pop briefly in a warm oven.

3. Feed the birds

Stale bread can be a lifeline for birds in the winter as long as it's part of a varied diet. Read the RSPB's advice about feeding bread to the birds. 

4. Pizza toast

Cover leftover bread with chopped tomatoes, herbs and grated cheese, and pop under the grill.

5. Summer pudding

A great British classic, Summer pudding is a wonderful combination of stale bread and fresh seasonal fruit. Try wholemeal bread for a healthier alternative with a more robust flavour.

6. Crispbreads

Spread stale slices of bread with a little butter or olive oil and put them in the oven until golden brown, and serve like crispbreads. Great topped with soft cheese such as ricotta.

7. Ribollita soup

A thick bread-based soup, this popular Italian recipe is great reheated the next day. Try Jamie Oliver's Ribollita recipe.

8. Soufflé

Stale bread and eggs were somehow made for each other. If you love soufflé but aren't in the mood to worry about it rising or collapsing, cheese, onion and bread soufflé is an easy recipe to make with stale bread.

9. Semmelknoedel

These German dumplings are similar to Italian gnocchi, but are made with stale bread and milk. Enjoy in a soup, topped with mushroom gravy or marinara, or with meat or fish.

Create a slightly sweeter version (minus the garlic, pepper, and herbs) and eat warm with honey, almonds, and ricotta cheese.

10. Mouldy bread

Mouldy bread isn't safe to eat but it doesn't need to go in the bin. If your council doesn't recycle food waste, put the bread on your compost heap instead of sending it to landfill.

Get more great recipes from love food hate waste.

Making breadcrumbs and other ideas

11. Fresh breadcrumbs

To make fresh breadcrumbs, remove the crusts from slices of day-old white or brown bread, place in a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped. Then freeze or store your breadcrumbs in an air-tight container.

Perfect for topping gratins, macaroni cheese, casseroles, cakes and cupcakes, and for coating fish and meat.

12. Savoury breadcrumbs

Pop stale bread in the oven after you've switched it off (the residual heat will crisp it up) — or simply put it in the toaster. Then blitz in a blender. Add herbs and salt if you want a savoury mix for dishes.

13. Delicious ice cream topper

This might not sound like an obvious recipe to use old bread, but trust us, it makes for an amazing addition to pudding. Just add some brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder or coconut flakes to dried breadcrumbs, and sprinkle.

14. Bread stuffing

Mix breadcrumbs with onions, herbs and seasoning for a simple stuffing for roast meat. Experiment with extra ingredients such as squash, spinach, sausage, nuts and dried fruits like cranberries.

15. Nut roast

Forget the bad press - the humble nut roast has been reinvented. If you fancy chestnuts, cashews and macadamias blended with flavoursome mushrooms, and seasoned with honey and soy sauce, see Nigel Slater's Porcini Nut Patties. For more variations, see these nut roast recipes.

16. Treacle tart

Treacle tart uses storecupboard staples including old bread, and is delicious served with a generous dollop of ice-cream or custard.

17. Brown Betty

Butter a baking dish and arrange alternate layers of chopped apples and stale breadcrumbs — start and end with a breadcrumb layer. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on each layer of apples. Bake until golden and serve with cream.

18. Taramasalata

Taramasalata is a delicious Greek dip made with breadcrumbs and cod roe.

19. Mince and meatballs

Try Nigel Slater's Peppers with mince, parmesan and rosemary. Choose good quality, organic meat whenever possible to support more environmentally-friendly farming. Breadcrumbs are often added to mince to make it more tender and bulk it out.

20. Fish cakes

Breadcrumbs act as a crispy coating for home-made fishcakes. Find out more about sustainable fishing. 

21. Bread omelette

A great way to use up leftovers, the bread omelette is an interesting variation on the classic recipe.

Savoury things to do with bread

22. Savoury bread and butter pudding

Use your stale bread for bread and butter pudding with a twist and adapt the usual sweet recipe for a savoury main course. Make it with cheese (and pickle) sandwiches, cheese and tomato sandwiches, or with spinach or roast veg. Pour seasoned milk and egg mixture over the sandwiches in a deep oven proof dish, top with a little more grated cheese and bake.

23. Savoury eggy bread

Has your old bread gone hard? Dip a slice of bread into beaten egg, turn it over a few times to make sure it's well coated. Quickly fry it, then add your topping of choice — try baked beans, tomatoes or mushrooms.

24. Cheese and jelly French toast

Spread one side of the stale bread with a light layer of cream cheese (or chevre), and the other side with a tart jelly (like cherry or marmalade) before dipping it in egg batter and cooking.

25. Try some panzanella

Panzanella is an Italian bread salad recipe with fresh tomatoes, herbs and and olive oil. A fantastic way to use stale Italian or French bread.

26. Croutons

Dice your old bread and fry quickly in olive oil for home-made croutons.

27. Fried sandwiches

Experiment with your favourite fillings, or try ham and cheese or an Italian-style fried sandwich.

28. French onion soup

Delicious with a cheesy toasty topper, try Alton Brown's French onion soup.

Sweet things to do with bread

29. Eggy bread

Dip a slice of bread into beaten egg, turn it over a few times to make sure it's well coated. Quickly fry then serve with your favourite topping – try honey or fresh fruit.

30. Eggy bread pudding

For a pudding worthy of a Michelin star, try Jamie Oliver’s Charred eggy bread with strawberries and honey.

31. Bread and butter pudding

There are many versions of this recipe – but essentially it's buttered slices of old bread, layered and baked with a mixture of eggs and milk.

Try spreading the bread with marmalade or lemon curd for a simple fruity twist. Or for something spicey, try this Chai spiced bread and butter pudding.

32. Milk toast

An American children’s favourite, just spread bread with butter, then toast under a grill. Meanwhile heat a pan of milk making sure it doesn’t boil.

Slice the toast into small cubes. Put toast cubes in a bowl and pour hot milk over. Eat immediately before it gets too soft.

33. Fruit Charlotte

Dip fingers of bread in melted butter, and line a cake mould. Pour in a fruit compote of your choice – homemade is best. Seal the top with some more bread slices and bake for about 30 mins until golden brown. Great served with custard.

About toast

34. Go for the toaster

Choose the toaster rather than the grill where possible – it uses less energy – and transform your slightly stale bread into one of our favourite comfort foods.

35. Toast sandwich – Victorian style

Not a toastie, but a recipe by Victorian food writer Mrs Beeton which was recently revived. Toast a thin slice of stale bread. Salt and pepper it and sandwich it between two slices of fresh buttered bread.

36. Melba toast

Lovely with soft cheese, hummus or pâté. Watch this short video to learn to make Melba toast.

37. Rusks

The crust from toast makes great rusks for teething babies. Take care not to leave babies unattended with food.

And finally...

38. How to freeze bread

If you take a while to finish a loaf, freeze half – remember to slice it first. Defrost a few hours before for sandwiches, or use instantly for toast.

39. Bake your own bread

You're less likely to waste it if you bake your own bread – find out more from the Real Bread Campaign. 

40. Christmas decorations made from bread

Get the kids involved with food – try these Christmas decorations made from bread.